Changes of energy metabolism in axons and their adjacent glia as well as alterations in metabolic axon-glia cross talk are emerging as central mechanistic components underlying axon degeneration. The analysis of extracellular flux with commercial metabolic analyzers greatly facilitates the measurement of key parameters of glycolytic and mitochondrial energy metabolism in cells and tissues. In this chapter, I describe a straightforward method to capture bioenergetic profiles of acutely isolated peripheral nerve segments using the Agilent Seahorse XFe24 platform.
Keywords: Axonopathy; Extracellular acidification; Metabolic coupling; Neuropathy; Oligodendrocyte; Oxygen consumption; Schwann cell; Wallerian degeneration.